


An Elusive Artefact

by thatfantasyworldofmine



Category: Warehouse 13, Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-21 16:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7395670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatfantasyworldofmine/pseuds/thatfantasyworldofmine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Myka and Pete are called to the town of Purgatory to investigate their latest artefact - the infamous Wyatt Earp's gun, Peacemaker. But when they turn up, they find that it may be easier said than done to get their hands on it, particular since it rests in the protective hands of Wyatt Earp's heir: his great-granddaughter Wynonna Earp.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In regards to when this occurs in each show's verse, for Warehouse 13 it occurs somewhere in the middle of Pete and Myka's agent lives, and for Wynonna Earp it occurs after Season 1 BUT as if the last minute of ep 13 (i.e. the thing that happened to Waverly) never happened.

        “Got a ping,” Artie crowed, flapping the pages as he bustled into the office. “Pete, for crying out loud,” he grumbled, shaking his head at the grown man bent over backwards in Claudia’s swinging chair dangling a giant gummy snake into his mouth.

        “Where to?” Myka came up behind Artie and tried to peer over his shoulder at the pages while Pete righted himself and winked at Claudia, who was grinning. Artie scowled at them both, and handed Myka the pages.

        “Purgatory,” he announced, and three pairs of eyebrows lifted.

        “At least it’s better than Hell,” Claudia quipped, recovering the quickest from the odd place name. She gave Pete a joking punch on the shoulder and slid away in her chair. “Better you two than me, I’m just gonna sit over here and be the computer genius.”

        “And where is this ‘Purgatory’?” Myka asked, flipping through the pages with a concentrating crinkle between her eyebrows. “I’ve never heard of it.”

        “Small town, central USA, somewhere you’re gonna have to take a plane and at least two buses to get to,” Artie replied, pulling out a wad of pre-purchased tickets. He handed them to Pete and made a shooing motion. “Off you go.”

        “But wait – what are we looking for?” Pete protested as Artie pushed them out the door.

        “Wyatt Earp’s gun.”

        Pete’s eyes widened again. “ _The_ Wyatt Earp? The gunslinger? What’s so special about his gun?”

        “It reanimates all the people he killed,” Myka replied before Artie could. She looked up from the pages. “It says here his great-granddaughters still live there, we just have to find them, get the gun and neutralise the thing. Right?”

        “And bring it back to the Warehouse where it can never reanimate any criminals ever again,” Artie added with a nod, and flicked his hands at them again. “Now go, go get that gun!”

 

         Pete and Myka spent the two hour plane ride and two four hour bus rides pouring over the pages of information Artie had given them on the Earp family, the gun, and scouring the internet for anything they couldn’t find. Which, unfortunately, was a lot.

        “Y’know, for so many pages there’s really not a lot to go on here,” Pete grumbled, leaning back in his seat and staring out the window into the night. “And I don’t like the vibes I’m getting as we get closer and closer to this place. Who the hell names a place Purgatory? They’re practically _asking_ for something to be messed up with the town.”

        “There are placed named Heaven and Hell too, and probably places with still weirder names than Purgatory,” Myka replied, taking his page and putting it back into the pile on her lap. “Let’s run through what we know.”

        “Wyatt Earp had a gun, and somewhere along the line, it became an artefact that could resurrect the criminals he had previously killed with it,” Pete said.

        Myka continued. “And we know that his great-granddaughters still live in Purgatory – Wynonna and –” she checked one of the pages, “Waverly. They probably have no idea what it can even do.”

        “So we just find them and pretend to be, what, gun experts?” Pete offered. “There’s not going to be a way we can get close enough to that gun without being suspicious, Mykes. It’s _Wyatt Earp’s_ gun.”

        Myka shrugged and tucked the pile of papers into her bag. “We’ve managed far harder situations. Hopefully they’ll oblige our ‘curiosity’ and just want to get us out of their hair – a quick dunk in the bag and we’ll be on our way.”

        The headlights of the bus lit up a sign as they sped past. Pete caught a glimpse of the words: _Welcome to Purgatory_. The vibes crawled up the back of his neck.

        “Yeah, this’ll be a piece of cake.”

 

When Pete emerged for breakfast, he found Myka was already in the small dining room of their motel digging into waffles and a bowl of fruit salad. The smell of the food hit him and he felt his stomach grumble. Sleeping in a motel meant there was no way to get a 2am sandwich, and the loss of his overnight meal had hit Pete hard. Going via the buffet, he loaded up his plate and went to sit with Myka.

        “You need to see someone about your snoring,” she greeted him, popping a piece of pineapple into her mouth.

        “Well good morning to you too.” Pete acted offended. “And I wasn’t going to mention it, but let me just say you’re not the quietest person to share a room with either. In fact, I think I’ll just call you the machine gun from now on.” Myka screwed up her face at him and Pete dug into his waffles, grinning widely at his partner’s snarky expression in response.

        Myka finished the last of her breakfast and left Pete to his, venturing into the lobby. The woman behind the desk smiled at her. “Hi, can I help you?”

        “Hi.” Myka smiled back, hoping she could leave her badge out of this conversation for as long as possible. Big cities were better at responding to the badge, but its appearance usually made small towns close up. “I was wondering if you could tell me some of the best Wyatt Earp hotspots? My fiancé just loves him and it’s his birthday tomorrow, I’m wanting to treat him with a tour.” Myka smiled again as the girl bobbed her head.

        “Sure, let me grab a pen and I’ll write them down for you!” She rummaged behind the desk. “One of the best is Shorty’s, it’s the bar Wyatt Earp always went to. They’ve even preserved the place where he sat!” Myka nodded and tried to look semi-enthusiastic as the receptionist rambled and wrote at the same time, until finally she was presented with a list of places to visit, all concerning Wyatt Earp.

        “Thanks so much –” Myka squinted at the name badge the girl was wearing, “- Cindy, this is gonna be a great day. Bye!”

        Myka retraced her steps to the dining room where Pete was still eating. She rolled her eyes; where he put it all, she would never understand. “When you’re done eating out the motel, I’ve got us an itinerary.” She waved the list in front of his face and he gave her a thumbs up.

 

A good fifteen minutes later, the two agents were out of the motel and walking down the street, arms crossed against the overcast chilly day. As it was late morning, the town had emerged out of the early morning stupor and become a normal hub of activity with cars driving past every so often, and people out on the street.

        “I see Shorty’s,” Myka pointed out, gesturing to the joint just down the road on the opposite side from them. They stopped walking and stared at the bar.

        “Looks a bit run down, doesn’t it?” Pete commented, stepping back from the path of a young woman running past in her active gear. “I bet it hasn’t been –”

        “Waverly!”

        A shout interrupted Pete’s observation, and both the agents started. The young woman running stopped and turned, and as Pete and Myka watched, a smile lit up her face as she walked towards the person who shouted, a redhead in a cop’s uniform.

        “Well, well, well…” Myka breathed as the two met and embraced, then shared a kiss. The redhead’s hat fell off due to their kiss; both the young woman laughed as the shorter one picked it up and deposited it back onto her girlfriend’s head. They started talking, out of earshot of Pete and Myka. The two Warehouse agents looked at each other, and started towards them.


	2. Chapter 2

        Nicole laughed as Waverly placed her hat back on her head slightly tilted. “Never took you for a jogger, although I can’t say I’m complaining about the outfit,” Nicole commented, eyeing Waverly’s skin-tight attire and smiling at her girlfriend’s flushed cheeks. “Y’know if you feel like a little more exercise, I get off in half an hour.”

        “Why, Officer Haught, I have a few tips that could get your heart racing,” Waverly quipped, sparkling eyes never leaving the redhead’s face. “And I certainly don’t mind waiting another –”

        “Waverly Earp?”

        Waverly spun around, lighthearted mood interrupted by the serious sounding voice behind her. A tall brunette with wild curls and big eyes came to stand before her, backed up by a slightly taller man with wide-set shoulders and a face that suited his boyish grin.

        “Can I help you?” Waverly asked, feeling Nicole tense behind her. She squeezed her hand, glad Nicole hadn’t let go. Nicole squeezed back.

        The brunette smiled and looked a little embarrassed. “I’m so sorry to stop you like this, but we–” she gestured to her partner, “we’ve been looking all over for you! I just had to grab the opportunity to talk when we realised who you were.”  
        Waverly’s nerves didn’t calm, but they didn’t heighten either. “I’m sorry, what is it you’re after? And what it’s got to do with me?”

        The woman looked a little flustered. “I’m sorry, I’m all flustered,” she admitted, brushing a curly lock away from her face. “My name is Myka Bering, and this is my partner, Pete Lattimer. We’re compiling research on historical gunslingers for the Chicago History Museum and we’re wanting to do a specialist piece on the gun of Wyatt Earp. You’re related to him, right?”

        Waverly relaxed and nodded. “Yeah, he was my great-grandfather. I’m sorry though, I’ve got no idea about his gun… as far as I know, it was lost a long time ago,” she lied easily, nodding. Waverly shrugged. “There are myths about where it is, some of them my dad told me, but they’re just stories. The most we’ve got left of Wyatt Earp in this town consists of my sister and me, and his old seat at Shorty’s.”

        The woman – Myka – looked crestfallen and her partner looked equally as disappointed, and Waverly prayed that Nicole’s face behind her hadn’t given anything away. She wasn’t a hundred percent caught up on the role of Peacemaker in all the craziness that ensued in Purgatory, but she definitely knew that the gun was not as lost as Waverly made out. At any rate, this conversation was heading to dangerously personal territory, so Waverly made her exit.

        “Anyway, the Officer here and I have a meeting planned so you’ll have to excuse us. Hope you find some stuff you can use for your exhibit. Enjoy Purgatory!” And with that, Waverly pulled Nicole away, giving her girlfriend barely enough time to tip her hat at the newcomers and follow the younger Earp. They walked away swiftly, holding hands.

        “That creeped the hell out of me,” Waverly said quietly to Nicole as they rounded the corner. She slowed down and took a deep breath, leaning against a wall. Nicole slid her arms around Waverly and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

        “That was definitely weird,” she agreed, a tingle running up her spine as Waverly slid her own arms around Nicole’s waist. “I think we should warn Wynonna.”

        Waverly nodded. “You’re right, although I hate to bug her now. A bunch of leaderless Revenants on her hands, Dolls is still AWOL and now there’s two snoops snooping around? She won’t be happy.”

        “But she’ll be happier to find out about them from us, rather than running into them herself and being ambushed. Call me crazy but I think they’re after something more than just information for an exhibit.”

        Waverly kept an arm around Nicole’s waist and started walking. “She’s at the station. Let’s go bring her the good news.” They walked for a minute, and then Waverly stopped.

        “What is it?”

        Waverly looked at her with a thinking face and glint of laughter in her eyes. “Maybe we should bring donuts.”

        Nicole laughed outright and nodded. “Alright, Waverly Earp, whatever you say.”

 

Wynonna Earp’s face was crooked into a scowl as she slammed down the phone and rested her forehead on the table. “This is not how I envisioned my day going,” she grumbled to Doc who slid his feet off the table and stood up to pat Wynonna on the shoulder.

        “Now now, we knew that findin’ that deputy marshall of ours wasn’t goin’ t’be a walk in the park, now was it? You’d best prepare yourself for many more a conversation to follow that one you just ended.”

        “The peppiness part of your pep talk needs work,” Wynonna replied, not moving. Everything as of late had gone downhill. They had been looking for Dolls for a week, and turned up nothing. Also there was a giant black demon lurking outside the Ghost River Triangle, and Wynonna had been forced to kill her own sister. Wynonna winced and bit the inside of her cheek. The small funeral had been four days ago.

        The door to their Black Badge Division office opened without a knock; looking up, Wynonna saw Waverly and her girlfriend enter. “Did you bring donuts?”

        That earned her a smile from both women as Waverly opened the box she was carrying and set it on the table in front of Wynonna. She let out a relieved sigh and rested her head against Waverly who was standing beside her. “I love you.”

        “You can thank Nicole, they were her shout,” Waverly replied, flashing a smile at the officer. Wynonna reached out for a donut and winked at Nicole.

        “Thanks, Haught-stuff.” She dug in.

        “No problem, powder-nose,” Nicole teased back, accepting the donut Waverly passed to her. Crinkling her nose, Wynonna rubbed the powder off and narrowed her eyes at her sister.

        “Y’know there’s only room for one snark in this group,” she warned.

        “What, are you afraid of a little competition?” Waverly rebutted, biting into her own donut and encircling her arm around Nicole’s waist.

        “Just because you’re wearing active wear doesn’t mean the donut doesn’t count,” Wynonna shot back and stuck out her tongue. Waverly responded in kind, then went and hugged Wynonna around the shoulders.

        “Still no luck locating Dolls?” she asked gently, and Wynonna shook her head, dusting off her hands.

        “It’s as if he’s vanished off the face of the planet,” she sighed. “Whatever agency the Black Badge Division is part of… it’s well hidden. I don’t know what to do next.”

        “Well... we may have a problem that can take your mind off of Dolls for a while.”

        “Wave, that is _so_ not what I want to hear.”

        “I’ll let you explain this one, I have to get back to work,” Nicole said, backing out of the room. “Waverly, meet me in half an hour?” Waverly nodded and the door closed.

        “Alright.” Wynonna let out a deep breath and pulled out a chair for her sister. “Tell us what you got.”


	3. Chapter 3

        “Just what we need, another overly-curious, borderline-stalkery party interested in this town,” Wynonna grumbled, twirling Peacemaker around her forefinger. She leaned forward. “And you’re sure they’re not legit?”

        “Nicole and I both felt thoroughly creeped out; the way they looked and acted didn’t really fit “historian”,” Waverly replied, her knees drawn up to her chest on her chair. “It seemed more like “secret agent disguised as historian”.”

        “But what could they want with Peacemaker that is not to do with you Earps?” Doc put in, meandering around the room, his hands in his pockets. Both the women looked at him. “Well, Waverly said that these people did not seem to be remotely interested in her, just in her connection with Wyatt Earp and his historical gun,” Doc continued. “So this would tell us one of two things: one, that they do not care about the curse on your esteemed family line, or –”

        “They don’t _know_ about it,” Waverly finished, nodding along with Doc. “And if that’s the case, then they’re severely out of touch with all the info surrounding Peacemaker.”

        “Okay but how does this help us?” Wynonna burst out, slamming Peacemaker down on the table and tangling her fingers in her hair. “Great, so now we know there’s a couple more weirdos in town, it doesn’t help us find Dolls or figure out what the connection is, if there is one. Could they be from the Black Badge Division? Come to replace him?”

        Waverly wasn’t offended by the outburst; she felt empathetic to her sister’s frustration. She was right; there was really nothing they could do without giving away how much they knew to the newcomers.

        “Wynonna, if they are from the same organisation as Agent Dolls, then all we can do is wait for them to come to us again, as they surely will,” Doc said calmly. He pulled out the seat next to the Earp heir and straddled it, leaning on the back. “We will find Agent Dolls eventually. In the meantime, you will just have to be patient.”  
          
        “Yeah, well it’s not really my forte,” Wynonna replied glumly, but she caught eye contact with him and nodded.

        The door opened and all three of its occupants turned to see Nicole, cheeks flushed. Waverly went to her. “What is it?”

        “The Revenants at Shorty’s,” Nicole said, looking from Waverly to Wynonna. “We just got a call, they’re keeping a couple residents from leaving.”

        Wynonna reached for Peacemaker and slotted the gun into her holster. “Time to go work for a living, I guess.”

 

Pete felt a familiar tingle run throughout his body as he and Myka entered the bar. “Bad vibes,” he murmured into her ear, his right hand itching to rest on his gun, safely stored on his hip. Dozens of pairs of eyes followed them as they wandered over to the bar and sat on a couple of stools.

        “Hi there,” Myka offered to the barman who was cleaning glasses with a rag. He looked at them, but otherwise made no such reply. “Can you tell us anything about Wyatt Earp?” Myka tried again, ignoring Pete’s warning hand on her elbow. The name caught the barman’s attention.

        “What do you wanna know about Wyatt Earp?” he asked gruffly, narrowing his eyes at the Warehouse agents.

        Myka shrugged. “Anything you can tell us, really. Or anything about his gun? We’re doing a project on the –”

        “If you know about that gun, then you know about Wynonna Earp,” a deep voice called from across the room. Pete and Myka turned to have the eyes of every occupant in the room on them.

        “We know the name,” Myka agreed, getting off her stool and moving towards the speaker. The Revenant in question was leaning against the pool table, his muscled arms crossed over his front. “What’s Wynonna Earp got to do with Wyatt Earp’s gun? Does she have it?”

        “Myka,” Pete warned quietly, but his partner pushed on. They were close.

        The man laughed. “You gonna try and get that gun off Wynonna Earp? You’ve come to the right place, we ain’t stopped trying to get it away from her since she killed one of our own.”

        Both Myka and Pete’s eyebrows raised. “She killed someone?”

        “Hell, lady she’d kill all of us if she could! But without that gun…” The Revenant grinned and held out a hand. “Name’s Curly Bill.” Myka struggled to control her expression as she and Pete shook hands with the outlaw. William Brocius, also known as Curly Bill Brocius, had been an outlaw killed by Wyatt Earp in a shootout in the early 1880’s. Which meant there was no way he should be alive and shaking hands with them.

        “Well, Curly, we’ll get back to you on finding the Earps and the gun, if you’d just give us a minute I need to talk to my partner.” And with that, Myka hooked her arm through Pete’s and dragged him away from the group. “We can’t trust them,” she breathed.

        “Curly Bill was in the information Artie gave us,” Pete said, keeping an eye on the bar behind Myka. “Killed by Wyatt Earp. You think the artefact brought him back?”

        “There’s not really another explanation, is there?” Myka whispered back, pulling out her cellphone. “Pete, go see if they’ll let you leave.”

        “Why me?”

        “’Cause I don’t want to! Also because I’ve got my finger hovering over the button to call the police, I don’t think they’re going to let us out now we know his name. It must have been a test, to see if we’d react.”

        “We lost that one,” Pete acknowledged, slinging his bag over a shoulder and strolling over to the door. A couple of men blocked his way, and Myka pressed her thumb on the green “Call” button.

        “Hey fellas, just wanting to grab something from the car.” Pete gave them his best grin and moved forward, but the two men just folded their arms and blocked his way. Their eyes glowed red, and Pete felt the grin leave his face as he backed away.

        “Myka, I think all of these guys are a little demon-y,” he murmured when he reached her. They looked around; the room was suddenly filled with a lot of red eyes.

        “We can’t let you go and warn little Miss Earp.” Curly Bill appeared behind Myka and wrenched her cellphone from her hands. It smashed under his boot.

        In perfect unison with each other, Myka and Pete reached beneath their jackets and pulled out their guns; Myka trained hers on Curly Bill and Pete’s wandered with smooth rotation, aimed at whoever looked the most threatening. Laughter, starting off with low chuckling then building to loud guffaws filled the bar as more or less every person pulled out a gun of their own and aimed it at the agents.

        “We’re with the Secret Service, put your weapons down on the ground,” Pete yelled over the noise. The laughter continued.

        “Looks like you’re a little outgunned, son,” Curly Bill said with a smirk, looking around the room. “I think you two should be the ones to lay down your firearms.” Two Revenants came up behind Myka and pulled her away from Pete, grabbing her gun.

        “Hey!” Pete whirled on them, and then the back of his neck erupted in agony and the world went black.

        Myka struggled against the two holding her, but they were too strong for her to break their grip. Pete was unconscious on the floor and Myka’s heart started to pound. Maybe Pete’s vibes were right.

        A loud bang echoed throughout the bar and Myka jolted in shock, then squinted at the light pouring in from the now-open front door.

        “Curly Bill Brocius, today’s the day you make your peace,” Wynonna Earp announced.


	4. Chapter 4

        Wynonna silently wished for the thousandth time that week that Dolls was there. She could’ve used him for backup, if nothing else; Nicole and Doc were bringing up the rear but they didn’t compare to Dolls, despite Doc’s claim as the fastest draw in the West.

        “Never one to shy from an entrance, now are you, Wynonna?” Curly Bill snidely commented as the three entered the bar. “You’re interrupting some business here, why not just pass on through?”

        “How about you all put down your firearms and we can talk this through like civil people?” Nicole retorted, firmly set in _‘Officer Haught’_ mode. “You’ve got nothing to gain by hurtin’ these two–” she jerked her finger at Myka and Pete, who was stirring. The pair were a little more beaten than when she had last seen them, but since they had encountered Revenants it would be harder to maintain their ignorance of Peacemaker. Particularly since Wynonna had her hand resting on the gun, in full view of the strangers. Nicole could see the woman in particular taking in every single thing that was said and learning more and more each time. Nicole turned her full attention back to Curly Bill Broncius. “How about you leave them alone, and we’ll do you the same favour?”

        Curly Bill feigned surprise, but nevertheless nodded at the rest of the Revenants to put down their guns. “Why, Officer, I’da thought we were doing you a favour. You realise what they were after?” he directed this last part of the sentence at Wynonna who treated the Revenant to her best withering look.

        “Of course I know what they’re after, it doesn’t mean I jump straight to murder as a means of dealing with them, unlike _some_ people,” she retorted, hand resting on Peacemaker in its holster. “I know what they’re after, and I also know you’ve got nothing to gain by killing them except that it’ll add a little bit of action to your morning. How’s about you let ‘em go, and we’ll call a truce for the next thirty seconds or so while we leave?”

        Curly Bill opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted as the door of the bar flew open again. Curly Bill scowled and stepped back from the group. “Sherriff.”

        “Curly,” Sherriff Nedley acknowledged, walking amiably towards the group. “Everything all good down here? Heard there was a bit of a showdown and thought I’d come see what the fuss was about.”

        “Just having a good old trade-off of insults with the oldest Earp, nothin’ to warrant your attention.” Curly Bill dismissed the group by turning back to the pool table. The atmosphere of the room shifted; everyone went back to their business and left the small group of non-Revenants to themselves. His words bit at Wynonna; his slight jab at her title as the ‘oldest’ Earp stung with the reminder that she was, once again, the oldest Earp by her own hand. And he probably hadn’t even meant to do it. Wynonna distracted herself by frowning at the couple they had just saved; their descriptions matched the pair that Waverly had described to her back at the station, which meant Nicole knew who they were too. She caught the woman looking at her hip and realised she had seen Peacemaker. Wynonna inwardly groaned, imagining Dolls' voice. _Nice one, Earp. Real subtle._

        Nedley gathered himself around the group.

        “Thanks, Sherriff,” Nicole muttered and he nodded once.

        “You can thank Waverly when you get back to the station, she’s the one who let me know,” he replied, and turned to the newcomers. “You folks alright?”

        Myka had her arm under Pete’s, holding him semi-upright. They both nodded, Pete grimacing.

        “We got it, Nedley, thanks for that save,” Wynonna piped up, seeing the questions start to surface on the Sherriff’s face. “Let’s get outta here.” The group left the bar quickly, Nedley leading the way out, Nicole and Wynonna on either side of Myka and Pete, and Doc bringing up the rear, shooting suspicious expressions at anyone’s gaze who lingered too long.

       

The group reached the street and in an unspoken agreement, everyone climbed into the police cars to head back to the station. Myka nudged Pete, who was sitting beside her in the back, and ever so slightly tilted her head at Wynonna in the front seat: Peacemaker’s pearl grip was just visible from their vantage point.

        _Wyatt’s gun?_ Pete mouthed, his eyebrows raised. Myka nodded.

        Obligingly, they followed their rescuers into the police station, through the main office and into a door labelled “Black Badge Division” on a neon pink post-it.

        “Nice sign,” Pete commented with a snicker. “Is the budget running thin?”

        “You could say that.” Wynonna pulled out two chairs and then sat on the table. “So who the frilly heck are you two, why’d you pester my sister and why d’you keep staring at my gun?” Wynonna crossed her arms and waited, tapping her foot. “I’m still waiting for an answer,” she said impatiently. Myka and Pete looked at each other, and then sat down.

        “Look, we’re going to level with you, alright,” Pete began. “But it’s going to sound crazy.”

        Waverly laughed. Wynonna’s mouth twitched.

        “Try me.”

        “We work for an undercover agency –”

        “Great, another one,” Nicole muttered.

        “– called the Warehouse,” Myka said, leaning her arms on the table. “We specialise in recovering artefacts that cause strange phenomena, make people behave irrationally, make the unexplainable happen, stuff like that.”

        “Think of stuff like Hitler’s microphone having the power to hypnotise its listeners,” Pete put in.

        Waverly perked up. “Do you have the –”

        “Wave!” Wynonna interrupted her with a shake of her head. “Not now!” She nodded towards Myka. “Continue. I’m still waiting to hear why this job turned you into our personal stalkers.”

        “Your gun, that’s Wyatt Earp’s gun.” Myka pointed at Wynonna’s hip and its wearer narrowed her eyes.

        “Yeah?”

        “That’s our artefact,” Pete explained. “Our boss, he sends us on trips to grab artefacts that have been playing up and that gun came up on a ping. It’s got the power to –”

        “Bring back the dead,” Wynonna and Waverly said in unison, nodding. Pete and Myka both recoiled in surprise, then Myka leaned forward again, eyes fixed on Wynonna.

        “I think it's time we hear your side of the story now, there’s obviously a whole lot you’re not telling us. How did you know that?”

        “Don’t all family heirlooms come with stories attached?” Wynonna unstrapped the gun and slid it across to the Warehouse agents. “It’s not an artefact. My – _our_ – family,” she corrected with a meaningful glance at Waverly, who gave her a small smile, “are haunted by the kills of that gun until the heir – at the moment, yours truly – can kill them all again.” Wynonna shrugged. “We’re cursed.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for how long this next chapter took! I started back at uni this week so have not had as much time as I would like for this. Thank you to everyone who has commented, bookmarked and given kudos to this story - it is super encouraging and I'm so glad you all like it!

Myka pulled out a pair of purple gloves from her pocket and carefully slid Peacemaker from its holster.

        “Cursed?” Pete repeated, his eyebrows furrowed. “We don’t do curses, we do artefacts. Care to explain this…curse?”

        Wynonna started to swing in circles on her office chair. “Wave, you’re up,” she called to her sister, who rolled her eyes.

        “Okay, it all started with our great great grandfather, Wyatt Earp…”

        Myka managed to listen to Waverly’s story of the curse and examine the gun at the same time, turning over the pearl-handled weapon in her hands and taking in every detail. There was a _W.E._ engraved on the bottom of the grip in cursive lettering; other than that, there was nothing else to distinguish the gun as particularly belonging to Wyatt Earp. Given that Wynonna had been so ready to use it when rescuing Pete and herself, Myka was inclined to believe it was the real thing. Which meant it had to be neutralised.

        She stood up and went for her bag where she had brought two artefact bags; Waverly stuttered at the end of her sentence at Myka’s sudden action and said, “Hey – what’re you doing?”

        Wynonna stopped spinning and stood up; Pete started as well and joined in: “Yeah, Mykes, she just explained it, what if we’re wrong?”

        “Then it shouldn’t make a difference dropping it in the bag and checking if it’s not an artefact,” Myka replied and pulled out one of the silvery bags.

        “Hey!” Wynonna was on her feet in a flash. “You don’t get to just take my gun and do what you want, lady, that’s not what this is. You’re here to look and explain, not –” she stepped forward and wrenched Peacemaker away from Myka, “to destroy our only chance of ridding Purgatory of the Revenants for good.”

        “But it’s an artefact,” Myka protested, brandishing the bag at Wynonna, who stepped back. “It could be having harmful effects on you, your sister – anyone that comes into contact with that gun could be affected in some way.”

        “Or it could be exactly like I told you,” Waverly interrupted, “and it could be the curse. You’ve got no evidence to support your artefact theory,” she pointed out. “At least we know what we’re dealing with.”

        “And if you’re affected by the gun?”

        “Then it’s worth it, to get rid of the Revenants,” Wynonna said, her expression dark. “ _I’m_ the heir, it’s _my_ job.”

        Myka and Wynonna held eye contact for a moment longer than is usually comfortable, Wynonna’s hard, determined gaze boring into Myka’s equally as determined eyes. Pete, Waverly and Doc watched the two silently battle, the quiet filling the room. After a minute thick with tension, Myka relented; she looked down and sat back down into her chair. Nobody seemed to know what to do or say next.

        Doc was the one to break the silence. He gestured to the bag resting next to Myka. “What exactly is the function of that bag?”

        “It neutralises the artefacts, makes it easier and safer for us to transport,” Pete answered. “Why?”

        “Well,” Doc continued, mindful of how both the Earp sisters would react to his idea, “perhaps it would not be the worst thing to slide Peacemaker on into one of these bags and see what the reaction is.”

        “What?” Wynonna looked outraged; Waverly looked confused. “Doc, we can’t risk it, what if –”

        “Hear my idea,” Doc interrupted, holding up a hand. With a very visible struggle, Waverly stopped talking. “We as a group do not know enough about the curse to know where it comes from or why it affects your family so, but am I correct in saying the assumption is that the curse is tied to that gun?”

        Wynonna looked impatient and unimpressed at Doc’s rhetorical question. “What’s your point?”

        “If the curse is tied to that gun, then would it not make sense that whatever force brings back the Revenants is _also_ tied to that gun?” Doc paused a moment for his logic to sink in. “Therefore, if it _is_ actually Wyatt’s gun that is the cause of this whole curse and the gun were to be –” he gestured at Pete.

        “Neutralised,” Pete provided, and Doc nodded.

        “If the gun were to be neutralised, then would it not be safe to assume that the need for the gun would also be neutralised?”

        “You think that the Revenants would all be destroyed as soon as Peacemaker was neutralised,” Waverly concluded, her face softening into an awed expression. She turned to Wynonna. “That might work,” she admitted, eyes lit up at the prospect of Doc’s theory. “I should’ve thought of that,” she muttered quieter, to herself.

        “Not that I know any more than you all about that gun or your ‘curse’, but that sounds like solid logic to me,” Myka offered, and Pete nodded his agreement. “We’d like to try it if you’re willing.”

        “And if you neutralise my gun but it doesn’t take out the Revenants?” Wynonna shot back, her grip tightening on Peacemaker.

        Myka didn’t rise. “Then we’ll stay for as long as it takes to rid your town of them,” she said resolutely, standing and offering Wynonna her hand. Wynonna eyed it, then her gaze flicked to Waverly, who nodded encouragingly.

        “Wynonna, I think this will work,” she said earnestly. Wynonna let out a puff of breath, straightened her shoulders, and handed the gun to Myka’s open hand. Myka stood there for a moment.

        “Well what are you waiting for?” Wynonna asked.

        Myka started with a jolt and quickly moved into action. “Pete,” she said, and Pete moved over, pulling on his own pair of purple gloves. Wynonna, Waverly and Doc all herded together, watching the Warehouse agents do their work.

        “You might wanna shield your eyes,” Pete recommended, and held the bag open for Myka. She held Peacemaker over the bag, uttered a silent prayer of _Please, let this work_ , and dropped the gun. Myka flung her hands over her eyes and Pete turned away; the moment the gun hit the bag Wynonna let out a pained cry and dropped to her knees, an instant flood of agony ripping through her body and tears filling her tight-shut eyes.

        “Wynonna!” Waverly was by her side in a second, knelt beside her. “Get the gun out of that bag!”

        Doc strode forward to help the Warehouse agents, wrenching the gun from inside the silver bag before either had a chance to react. Waverly’s hands gripped Wynonna’s shoulders; they were trembling. Wynonna wept silently, arms clutching herself, and Waverly unhesitatingly pulled her sister into a close embrace and held her.

        “What happened?” Myka asked as both she and Pete approached. “I’m sorry, Wynonna, I –”

        “Just give her a minute!” Waverly snapped, rubbing Wynonna’s back as she took deep, gulping breaths. The room lapsed into silence again as the group waited for Wynonna to get her breath back.

        “That was…  not… a good… plan,” Wynonna managed after a minute, emerging from Waverly’s shoulder and rubbing her chest.

        “Wynonna, I am so sorry,” Myka tried again, but Wynonna shrugged and waved her hand. She wiped the remnants of tears from her cheeks. Her voice was slightly raspy when she spoke next.

        “So… do we have a Plan B?”


	6. Chapter 6

The door to the office burst open and a flushed red-head stood in the doorway.

        “Is everyone alright? I heard a yell,” Nicole asked worriedly, her hair now pulled free of its French braid and uniform exchanged for jeans and a navy turtleneck to combat the cold. “Wynonna!” She rushed over and fell on her knees next to Waverly, putting a hand on each of the Earps’ shoulders protectively. “What’s going on?” she demanded, rounding on Pete and Myka.

        “Easy, tiger, I’m fine,” Wynonna grumbled, patting Nicole’s hand and sitting back. “We had a theory about Peacemaker, and now we know the theory’s a bust. End of story, that’s all folks.” Nicole turned her gaze from the Warehouse agents to Waverly, her eyes questioning.

        “I’m fine too,” she quickly said, caressing Nicole’s cheek briefly with her thumb before returning her hand to Wynonna’s arm. Waverly eyed her sister, concerned to say the least. “Wynonna, what happened?” she asked seriously, rubbing Wynonna’s arm. “What did you feel when Peacemaker went into that bag?”

        Wynonna shuddered. “Like I’d been simultaneously stabbed in the chest and had something wrenched out of me,” she said. Waverly shivered and Nicole’s hand came to rest on her back. Waverly could feel the warmth and was comforted; she gave her girlfriend a small smile of thanks and Nicole nodded once, returning the smile.

        “Obviously the heir has more of a connection to the gun than any of you knew,” Myka commented, nodding. “Nothing visible happened when I put Peacemaker in the bag, it should've spewed purple sparks if it was an artefact. But it must have had some effect if you felt that, Wynonna.”

        “So that means Peacemaker isn’t your artefact?” Waverly asked Pete and Myka; they looked at each other and shook their heads.

        “I guess not.”

        “There must be something here though, something artefacty,” Pete said, thinking out loud. “Something else of Wyatt Earp’s, or even something of someone that hated him. Who else would wanna curse his gun to bring back the people it killed?”

        No-one had an answer for Pete. Wynonna grabbed Waverly’s hand to steady herself and accepted Doc’s arm under her elbow as she stood up shakily. Waverly and Nicole stepped back a little, hands finding each other at their sides, and Doc remained beside Wynonna.

        “Well, this has been fun but I would like to get back to work now, and that doesn’t include you two,” Wynonna said to Pete and Myka. “Stay in town, see the sights, I don’t care. Just don’t get in our way.”

        The Warehouse agents shared a glance. “Well, we can’t really go back to the Warehouse without an artefact, so…” Pete drifted off, looking helplessly at Myka to finish the thought.

        “So we’ll make you a deal,” Myka offered. “I’ll stay here and help you with your investigation or whatever it is you’re doing, and Waverly can show Pete everything she’s got on Peacemaker and your family, to see if they can figure out what our artefact is.”

        “What if I don’t want your help?” Wynonna retorted, her hand falling on the closed manila folder containing everything they knew about Dolls and the Black Badge Division.

        “Judging by that map behind your head and the folder you automatically touched, I’d say you’re looking for someone or something,” Myka pointed out with the slightest hint of a smirk. Wynonna frowned, and Myka shrugged. “I’m particularly good at finding people, and I’ve probably got more contacts than any of your group here in federal positions.”

        “Sounds mighty fair since we’re low on leads,” Doc muttered, and Wynonna elbowed him.

        “Fine, fine, it’s a deal,” Wynonna agreed, holding out her hand.

        Myka smiled and perked up, shaking it. “I’ll join you in a few minutes – we should probably call Artie and let him know what’s happened,” she said, turning to Pete and pulling out her Farnsworth. Pete stood up and made eye contact with Waverly.

        “I’m not gonna hold you up, am I? I’m ready to get started as soon as this is done,” he said, and Waverly shook her head.

        “You two sort out whatever it is you’re doing, Nicole and I are going to head back to my place and get the rest of my research,” she replied, already pulling her girlfriend out the door. “We’ll be back soon, Wynonna,” she called and her sister nodded.

        “Drive safe,” she called back. Pete and Myka left the room, and so it was left with just Doc and Wynonna pouring over the pages. As soon as the room was empty, Wynonna flopped down into a chair with a huff. Doc chuckled and she scowled at him. He held up his hands in surrender.

        “I cannot help what I do or do not find endearing about you, Wynonna Earp,” he defended himself, sitting next to her and resting his feet on the edge of the table. “Are you recovered from earlier?”

        Wynonna shuddered and her arms curled around herself instinctively. “I wasn’t expecting anything like that to happen,” she admitted, eyes landing on Peacemaker. “I hoped it wouldn’t destroy the gun, I hoped it would destroy the _curse_ – God, how easy would that be if they put Peacemaker in their little bag and all our problems went away?” she wondered. “Whatever, I sure as hell didn’t expect to reveal an actual, physical connection between me and Peacemaker.” Wynonna paused for a moment, staring at the table. “It scared the shit out of me,” she said finally, and Doc nodded in acknowledgement.

        “I cannot think of how you became bonded but I certainly know why,” he replied, rocking slightly in his chair. “I can guess it comes from being the heir.”

        “Wonder if it was connected to Willa.”

        Doc put his hand over hers. “Nothing could’ve saved your sister, Wynonna. Not even a magical strange connection with an equally as strange gun.”

        Wynonna swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get to work.”

 

Pete and Myka found a secluded spot around the corner from the police station and dialled Artie from Myka’s Farnsworth. He picked up after a few seconds, an expectant look on his face. “Is it news or issues? Please let it be news – like you’ve found the gun, neutralised it and you’re on your way back.”

        “Aw Artie, where’s the fun in that?” Pete teased over Myka’s shoulder, and against her better judgement, Myka smiled slightly along with her grinning partner. Pete’s sole aim at times seemed to be how high he could raise Artie’s blood pressure, and he excelled at it.

        “Artie, we’ve run into something… weird,” Myka put in before Artie could be drawn into a verbal joust with Pete. “The gun isn’t an artefact, but the criminals it killed still come to life.”

        “What?” Artie spluttered, shaking his head. “That’s impossible. What else could it be if it’s not an artefact?”

        Pete and Myka looked at each other and said simultaneously, “A curse.”

        “What? You guys got a curse?” An excited female voice sounded from somewhere behind Artie, and both agents grinned at Claudia’s excitement.

        “Well, we don’t know if it’s a curse yet,” Myka admitted, “but we met the owner, Wynonna Earp, and both her and her sister are pretty convinced it’s a curse. Artie, that’s what we called to tell you, we’re going to be working with the Earps to try and find out the cause of all these criminals coming back to life.”

        “Yeah, _I_ am,” Pete corrected, butting in. “Myka here’s got the fun job of helping Wynonna find her boss, while I’m stuck with Waverly reading reports and newspaper clippings, trying to find something else of Wyatt Earp’s that could be an artefact.”

        Artie rolled his eyes. “Sounds like you’re all under control then, yes?” he confirmed, and both agents nodded. “Alright then, keep going. And if you find anything remotely resembling an artefact, either bag it or spray it down. Got it?”

        “Got it,” Myka responded, and closed the Farnsworth. “Let’s go do some digging.”


End file.
